We need help with advice on organic products for our cherry trees.We live in a valley that is famous for cherries but all the local Turkish farmers use chemicals to spray.We have refused to allow spraying this season and as a result will not have a good enough crop to sell but I am planning on making kilos of jam!!!

This is our first year on this land and it is covered with huge thistles. I am losing the battle with trying to hack them down despite having developed arms like popeye in the attempt. Does anybody know of an organic herbicide bearing in mind that the lambs and poultry graze freely?

The more people I meet, the more I love my animals!

Sat 12-Jun-103:43 pm

Toffeeapple

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Hi Sandy, welcome to the forum.

I'm not able to help you but I'm pretty sure that someone will be able to help you at some point. Just off to read your site...

I'll try that again!

Sat 12-Jun-106:47 pm

JoannaS

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Hi SandyC, welcome from a fellow ex-pat, I am just a little further north than you, okay a lot further north in Latvia.

Have you thought about getting goats? Manure for the cherry trees and they eat just about anything , if your cherry trees are low then you might want to get pygmy goats so they don't eat the cherries too.

According to the soil association you are best cutting them back just before flowering, any other time just encourages them to develop more roots.

Thanks to you both for your prompt replies.Our site does not relate to our smallholding but to the holiday homes we renovated and led to us retiring permanently here and finding our little paradise.

As we are growing alot of fruit and vegetables goats would be a problemat the moment. Every villager has goats but they all seem to ignore these thistles...they are huge...at least a metre across the rosette.I shall certainly try leaving them a while but I am getting paranoid about missing one and then it seeds and starts the next onslaught.

I would love to find pygmy goats in Turkey but they seem to like everything large. I wanted dexters and some bantams but have failed locally so far.I will have goats once the veggie plot is isolated as I want to make cheese.

The more people I meet, the more I love my animals!

Sat 12-Jun-109:30 pm

Toffeeapple

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I was looking at your site earlier (VERY IMPRESSIVE) and I wondered where you live. Is your home close to the holiday homes? I must say that you've put a lot of effort into the renovations, as evidenced by the plaque.

I'll try that again!

Sun 13-Jun-106:52 am

SandyC

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Our cottages are 5 kms from the south coast near Fethiye but the house is an hour up into the mountains towards Denizli in the Nif valley, miles from nowhere! It is a farming valley,they still plough with a mule, hence they are set in their traditional ways. Alot of the traditions are organic but the have learnt that chemicals will produce bumper crops and so they mix the two.....maybe they are right on some issues?

As the land has been untouched for 5 years I am keen to maintain an organic sheme but am struggling.We have supplies of Neem oil but I have not applied it at the right times, hopefully next season I can get it right.This year has been devoted to moving in and settling.

Whereabouts in North Bucks are you? I come from Amersham originally.

The more people I meet, the more I love my animals!

Sun 13-Jun-107:25 am

ep

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Welcome Sandy C....I'm just a little bit more northern than you in southern Bulgaria but am surrounded by Turkish people. Beautiful place. As for cherries, I've just stripped and cropped my two trees and try something new with the cherries.....I've got cherry vodka, cherry gin, cherry brandy on the go and now have 20 litres of cherry wine. Believe me theres only so much jam that you can go through and the liver dictates that there's only so much of the other..

As for the thistles...there are some very pretty yellow and brown birds that love them so maybe you wouldn't have such a problem if you left them....otherwise..just get your grim reaper scythe out and jig it about a bit.

Mmmm..I like the sound of those alternatives.Do you have the recipes or a link so that I can get myself prepared in advance of the harvest which should be in 2 weeks. I guess the liquers are just a case of steeping them and being patient (not one of my strong points) but the wine would need a bit of forethought.

The more people I meet, the more I love my animals!

Mon 14-Jun-104:16 pm

Toffeeapple

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SandyC said:

Whereabouts in North Bucks are you? I come from Amersham originally.

Between Stony Stratford and Wolverton (the old Railway town). I know Amersham, there used to be a lovely dress shop there that I frequented (might it have been called Peaches?).

I'll try that again!

Wed 16-Jun-102:38 pm

SandyC

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There are lots of lovely shops in the Old town, rather like Stony Stratford. We go there for outdoor gear when we are home.

Am I being dim about the maths at the end to post reply, is it a computer thing or just a test to see if it's time for a drink.

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Wed 16-Jun-102:53 pm

Toffeeapple

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I think it's a computer generated thing, but you can use it for calculating if it's time for an aperitif.

We have a great outdoor shop in Stony, expensive though.

I'll try that again!

Wed 16-Jun-108:17 pm

JoannaS

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I think it is to stop spam not generated by a human being. Human beings still spam but they have to work harder